Tuesday, 2 August 2022

 Mr HIBBINS (Prahran) (13:19): I want to thank members of the Prahran community who attended my round table to share ideas on how best to revive Chapel Street. Chapel Street is the social and economic heart of our community. It is a Victorian icon, and constituents have made it clear to me that reviving Chapel Street is one of the top priorities for our local community. There is no doubt the impact of the last few years has been really tough on local traders, but there is also the potential to recover better than ever. I am really heartened by the enthusiasm in our community for a thriving Chapel Street and reinvigorating our much-loved main street. There is some real strength in the diversity of our area and some real opportunities with the creative industries, with the potential of bringing back the Chapel Street Festival and with pop-up shops. This will require some vision and leadership from the state government, council, traders and landlords coming to the table and even potentially new forms of governance and funding to bring it all together.